Disposable cartridge syringe



mk., I8, 1955 S. V. WHITAKER ET AL DISPOSABLE CARTRIDGE SYRINGE Filed July 9, 1954 FIG. 3i

FIG. 5.

FIG. 4.

INVENT OR BY m/ W@ 9M Pam/n,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 2,720,880 Patented; oct. 18, i955 2,720,880 DIsPosABLE CARTRIDGE SYRING Seldon V. Whitaker, Devon,- and Philip A. Derharn, Port Kennedy, Pa., assignors to J. Bishop 8a Co. Platinum Works, Malvern, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 9, 1954, seal No. 442,295

7 Claims. (c1. 12s-21s) This invention relates to a disposable cartridge syringe for use with ampoules or cartridges of medicinal agents to be injected, said ampoules being of the type having a perforatable diaphragm sealing one end and a piston sealing the other end and slidable in the ampoule to discharge the liquid therefrom.

An object of our invention is to provide a disposable syringe of the type referred to which is inexpensive and easy to operate. More particularly an object of our invention is to facilitate the handling of the syringe after the insertion of the ampoule or cartridge.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the needle, the syringe barrel, the ampoule and the piston rod,

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the assembled parts of the syringe,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l showing a continuous ridge on the inner wall of the syringe barrel adjacent the open end thereof,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a single circular projection on the inner wall of the barrel adjacent the open end thereof,

Fig. 5 is a sectional View showing spaced apart ridge sections on the inner wall of the barrel adjacent the open end thereof, and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing the barrel slightly elliptical in cross section with ridge sections on the opposite less curved sides thereof.

It will be appreciated that for the purpose of illustration the size of the ridge and ridge sections and the circular projection are somewhat enlarged.

Referring to Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings 1 is a double pointed needle having the longer end 2 for injection, the shorter end 3 for puncturing the diaphragm of the ampoule and the externally knurled, internally screw threaded hub 4 which fits the screw threaded nose 5 of the syringe. The needle is of course made of metal such as stainless steel.

The syringe barrel 6 comprises the usual cylindrical portion '7, the nose 5 referred to above, the wings 8 to be engaged by the lingers of the operator, the window 9 and the internal ridge 10 (see Fig. 3). The barrel is made of synthetic resin or plastic material such as polyethylene which may be opaque or translucent and is slightly ilexible, elastic and deformable. The window 9 may be an opening through the wall of the barrel or merely a relatively thin area through which the contents of the barrel may be seen.

The ridge 10 is formed to a size permitting the ampoule 11 to be inserted into the syringe barrel but preventing the ampoule from being removed from the barrel. The slight ilexibility and elasticity of the material of which the barrel and the integral ridge 10 are made make it relatively easy to provide a syringe barrel and ridge into which the standard amopule readily may be inserted by the pressure of the fingers and from which the ampoule' rarely, ifever, vwill fall out. v Y

Asv illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3 the syringe Barrel 6 is circular in cross section and the ridge 10 is continuous but we have found it to be advantageous as illustrated in Fig. 6 to make the syringe barrel 6j' slightly elliptical in cross section so that it may be deformed to circular cross section to permit the introduction of lthecartridge after which the barrel will return to its elliptical cross sectional shape. We have further found that instead of a continuous ridge a single, or two or more spaced apart circular projections 22 (see Fig. 4) or a single orwtwo or morevspaced apart short ridge sections 223 (se'eFig. 5) may be used. A pair of oppositely disposed ridge sections 23 each extending 30 more or less around the circumference of the barrel have been found to give' excellent results, particularly when the barrel is slightly elliptical in cross section and when the ridge sections are `located in the less s'harplycuved sides of the' ellipse as illustrated in Fig". 6. It will be appreciated that either the circular or the elliptical cross sectional shape" of the barrel may be used with either the continuous ridge, the single circular projection or spaced apart circular projection or the single ridge section or spaced apart ridge sections.

The ampoule illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is of conventional construction i. e. it is made of glass and has a cylindrical body portion 12, a neck portion 13, a flange 14, a metal cap 15 having a central opening 16, the perforatable e. g. rubber diaphragm 17, and a piston 18 provided with the screw threaded projection 19. The piston rod 20 may be formed of metal or synthetic resin or plastic and is provided with the screw threaded socket 21 adapted to tit onto the projection 19. A simpler conventional form of ampoule is one in which the neck 13, flange 14, cap 15 and diaphragm 17 are replaced by a rubber plug fitted into the end of the cylindrical body of the ampoule and having a thin central area to facilitate penetration by the needle.

In use the ampoule is first inserted into the syringe barrel. This may be done either at a central supply point or at the place where the syringe is to be used. The short end 3 of the needle is inserted through the nose 5 and pushed by means of the hub 4 until it has` perforated the diaphragm 17 and the hub 4 is then screwed onto the nose 5. The rod 20 is then attached to the projection 19 and the syringe is ready for an injection.

The projection or projections 22 or the ridge or ridge sections 23, with or without the slightly non-circular shape of the syringe barrel, serve not only to position the cartridge within the syringe barrel where it is protected against breakage and secured against accidental loss but also the very important function of retaining the cartridge in the barrel against pull applied by the operator when, in making an injection and after inserting the needle but before advancing the piston to discharge the contents of the cartridge, he pulls backwards on the piston rod in order to determine whether the needle has penetrated a blood vessel.

It is within the scope of our invention to vary the cross sectional shape of the ridge 10 or the projection or projections 22 or the ridge sections 23. That is, instead of making them semi-circular in cross section in a plane through the longitudinal axis of the syringe barrel, their surfaces may be tapered outwardly at a smaller angle to facilitate easier insertion of the ampoule into the body and tapered inwardly at a greater angle to more posi tively resist outward movement of the ampoule. Or, since the ampoules designed for a given capacity of injectable may vary in size i. e. they may be shorter :and of greater diameter or longer and of less diameter, the projections or ridges may be tapered inwardly and made to extend in- L wardly in the syringe barrel 6 or 6' for a suicient distance to take care of such variation in size of ampoules as may be expected to be encountered. Thus whether the ampoule is short or long its outer end will engage the tapered inwardly extending surface of the projection or lprojections or ridge or ridge sections and theampoule will thus be secured against endwise movement between the needle end of the barrel and the projections or ridges.

The use of a projection or projections or a ridge or ridge sections for retaining the ampoule in the syringe barrel is employed in the syringe of our application Serial No. 442,294 tiled July 9, 1954.

We claim:

1. A disposable syringe barrel adapted for use with an ampoule which is closed at one end by a perforatable diaphragm and at the other end by a piston and with a double pointed needle having an internally screw threaded hub, said syringe barrel being formed of iiexible, deformable and elastic material and having a nose at one end of said barrel for attachment to the hub of the needle and an integral inwardly extending projection on the inner surface of the barrel adjacent the other end thereof adapted to retain the ampoule in the barrel.

2. A disposable syringe barrel as deiined in claim 1 of circular cross section.

3. A disposable syringe barrel as defined in claim l of substantially elliptical cross section.

4. A disposable syringe barrel as defined in claim 1 in which the projection is a continuous ridge.

5. A disposable syringe barrel as defined in claim l in which the projection is circular in a plane parallel to the axis of the barrel.

6. A disposable syringe barrel as defined in claim l in which the projection is a ridge extending around only a portion of the circumference of the barrel.

7. A disposable syringe barrel as defined in claim l in which the barrel is substantially elliptical in cross section and has ridge sections on the opposite less curved sides of the ellipse.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 743,743 McCulloch Nov. 10, 1903 1,771,219 Hein July 22, 1930 2,408,323 LockhartV Sept. 24, 1946 2,571,653 Bastien Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,758 Great Britain Sept. 7, 1945 

